UK Museum Refutes Claims of “Palestine” Removal from Exhibits

(MENAFN) The British Museum has denied reports that it removed the word “Palestine” from information panels and maps in its ancient Middle East galleries following pressure from the pro-Israel lobbying group UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

UKLFI claimed that a museum spokesperson confirmed panels were being reviewed “on a case-by-case basis” and alleged that references to “Palestinian descent” in the Egypt galleries were replaced with “Canaanite descent.” They also suggested that exhibits covering 2000–300 BC in the Levant gallery had been revised to emphasize “the rise of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.”

The group had sent a complaint to museum director Nicholas Cullinan earlier this month, raising “serious concerns” about what it described as the anachronistic use of the term “Palestine.” UKLFI argued that such terminology “erases the emergence and existence of Jewish kingdoms and Jewish national identity in the region” and “creates a false impression of historical continuity.”

UKLFI, which has previously targeted pro-Palestinian activists through legal threats and is under investigation for allegedly filing “vexatious and baseless” claims, also warned that the terminology could violate the UK Equality Act by creating “a hostile or offensive environment” for Jewish and Israeli visitors.

The controversy was widely reported in the British press and drew criticism from several scholars, but the museum has firmly rejected the allegations.

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